Baidu begins search for Silicon Valley talent

Baidu reportedly plans to hire software engineers from the US in an effort to pick up more technology prowess outside of China where it dominates the local search market.

The decision comes as Google agreed late yesterday to stop redirecting its China web servers to Hong Kong, after Beijing authorities threatened to pull the plug on Mountain View's business in the country.

According to a report on Reuters, Baidu plans to begin looking for US talent next month in Silicon Valley at a job fair on 10 July, where the company will be searching for around 30 "mid-to-senior-level" software wonks.

"Baidu believes that talent is the key to our success as a company, and we go where ever the best talent can be found, whether here in China or in Silicon Valley," Baidu's human resources director Zheng Bin told Reuters.

"As we develop more and more advanced search technologies, our need for world-class talent will only continue to increase." ®

Clarification: This story has been clarified to show that Baidu's plans to hire talent in Silicon Valley does not mean that the company will attempt to offer its search business outside of China (and Japan) as originally suggested in this piece.